Method and apparatus for blending fiber



April 29, 1952 L. A. RUNTON METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BLENDNG FIBER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 25, 1949 .Z'aweb- ZesZz ef. yf/sam o giglio! N, Q5 9 Q wir@ 9 y Q Q El. i Q i v All'.

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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BLENDING FIBER IweaaoH: Leslie dRaaauz,

y /ka/Ld; Snai/SLEWM# April 29, 1952 Filed May 25, 1949 l.. A. RUNTON METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BLENDING FIBER 5 Sheefcs-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 29, 1952 METHOD AND APPARATUSv FOR BLENDIN G FIBER Leslie A. Runton, Dracut, Mass., assigner to J. P. Stevens & Co. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporationof Delaware Application May 25, 1949, serial No. '95,356

(ci. 11a-146)- v 14 Claims.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the blending of fibre.

Fibre has long been blended by hand by scattering the libre in sections over the floor and repeating the process until a layer has been built upand this vgeneral procedure has also been carried out by feeding the bre to a conveyor consisting of a long bank of rolls. These rolls are driven in one direction to advance the nbre. Then alternate rolls are stopped and driven in the opposite direction and the fibre is fed downward between pairs of rolls thus rotating in opposite directions and discharged in sections on the fioor beneath or upon a traveling belt. This operation is repeated until a layer or" libre of desired thickness is built up.

The object of the present invention is to secure a proper and efficient blending of the fibre while enabling the operation to proceed rapidly and with the maximum economy. The broad principle of the invention, which may be carried out withand embodied in different types of apparatus, resides in causing the iibre in sheet form constantly to advance, to be divided into adjoining sections while advancing, and then these sections to be discharged downward While still advancing. In other words, the principle involved is the continual movement of the bre, from the time the operation is begun, in an advancing direction while it is being divided and until it reaches the floor or support upon which the blending takes place. Thus there is no reversal of the movement of the fibre and no reversal ol' movement ofthe conveyor during the entire operation. Itis this principle which enables the operation to be carried out at high speed and the libre to be blended efficiently and economically.

The apparatus of this invention comprises essentially a conveyor having an extended horizontal run with means for feeding the bre in sheet form to the conveyor. This conveyor is operated so as continuously to advance the fibre thus fed thereto. Means are also provided for operating the conveyor to cause the libre while being advanced thereby to be divided into adjoining sections and with the sections while still advancing to be directed downward on to the floor or other support. A conveyor, therefore, carrying out the broad principles of the invention may be of the endless type so that the portion of the conveyor carrying the bre moves bodily forward with the fibre, or such a conveyor may be of that type exemplified by a bank of rolls where the conveyor does not move bodily with the bre but which, by the rotation of the rolls, acts to advance the fibre fed thereto.

conveyor and a preferred form of apparatus of the endless conveyor type is herein disclosed which not only embodies and serves to illustrate the broad principles of method vand apparatus involved, but also the preferred and subsidiary principles of the method and apparatus of this invention.

The nature and objects of the invention will further appear from the accompanying description and drawings and will be pointed out in the claims. y

The drawings illustrate a simple and preferred form of apparatus of the endless conveyor type. The illustration is in more or less diagrammatic form and with only those features illustrated in detail which are necessary to an understanding of such a pieceof apparatus.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the rear portion of`- the apparatus illustrating a group of sections of the advancing fibre discharging downward;

Fig. 2 is a detail corresponding to a portion of Fig. 1, but showing the elements in a different position, or the position occupied before the nbre is discharged;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the forward portion of the apparatus and thus constitutes, with an intermediate portion broken away, a continuation of Fig. 1; t 1

Fig. 4 is a detail of a portion of the conveyor; and,

Fig. 5 is a top plan View of the va-pparz-itus with the central portion broken away.

The endless conveyor is mounted cn a suitable frame comprising standards and longitudinallyy extending tracks 2 at each side at the bottoni and 3 at the top for supporting the runs of the con veyor. This frame may be supportedl from the floor or suspended from the ceiling and the nbre discharged from the conveyor may be discharged directly upon the floor or upon a movable support, such for example as a belt for removing the blended libre.

The conveyor as illustrated comprises a pair of chains mounted one at each side of the frame and Feach composed of links i connected by pivots 5. Thesechains at the forward end extend over and around the sprocket wheels 6 mounted on the shaft 'l jonrnaled in the irame'and at the rear end extend over a similar pair of sprocket wheels 8 mounted on the shaft 9. This shaft 9 is conveniently mounted in blocks I adjustable by means of screws II on the brackets I2 extending from the standards I, thus to enable any slack in the chains to be taken up. The chains are simultaneously driven, and thus the entire conveyor driven, by power applied to the shaft 1. For that purpose an electric motor I3 is illustrated supported on the forward end of the frame and driving a sprocket chain I4 in turn driving a sprocket wheel I5 secured to the shaft 1.

The conveyor, as illustrated, is mounted so that the lower run extends horizontally.` and thisjrun of the conveyor should be of substantial length to secure the most rapid and economical results. A length of fty feet or more is desirable. Y

The conveyor in the preferred form illustrated comprises a series of similar transverse pans which depend from the' conveyor when on the lower run. These pans are normally locked to the conveyor chains and when in locked position present, with the other elements of the conveyor. a substantially continuous surface to receive and support the fibre fed to the conveyor and with the fibre filling the pans. These pans are so mounted that they may be unlocked from the chains, and when so unlocked they swing downward discharging the fibre therein downward from the conveyor.

In the preferred construction illustrated each pan I6 is of trough-like shape presenting a smooth interior surface and preferably made of aluminum or other suitable metal. Each pan at its rear edge is pivotally connected to a. pivot 5 which may be a rod extending between the two chains. The pan is of substantial width and is shown as nearly the width of three links of the chain. At its forward edge it is provided with a permanent magnet I'! which may be of Alnico, This magnet normally contacts with an iron bar I8 extending between the two chains and thus the pan is locked in closed position, as shown in Fig. 4, and suitable means for unlocking the pan is shown as a cover plate I9 extending transversely between the chains and pivoted on one of the pivots 5 which may also be a rod extending between the two chains. This cover I9 also conveniently functions to support libre extending between adjacent pans and is therefore made of smooth surface metal. At its rear edge this cover has secured thereto a bar on which is mounted, one near each end, a pair of non-ferrous plungers 2l fitting through holes in the bar I8 and contacting with the magnet Il and with a spring 22 interposed. Thus it will be seen that when the cover I9 is depressed the plungers will release the forward edge of the pan and allow it to swing down freely about its pivot.

The bre to be blended is fed to and deposited upon the lower run of the conveyor in sheet form and any suitable means may be employed for this purpose so long as the bre is supplied substantially throughout the width of the conveyorand in sheet form. It is, of course, understood that the sheet is not exactly even but is simply fairly well distributed. As a simple means an endless belt 23 is shown extending around a roller 24 carried by a frame 25 and positioned at an acute angle to and extending between the runs of the conveyor at the feeding end so as to feed the fibre from the endless belt on to the lower run of the conveyor substantially throughout its entire width and in substantially sheet form.

With the conveyor continuously driven and in discharged downward from the pans on to the floor or support beneath. This result is secured, in the construction illustrated, by simultaneously andmomentarily depressing a group of the covers I9 and thus causing the plungers 2| connected therewith to unlock the magnets I'l from the bars I8. Such a mechanism is shown as a bar 26 extending over the central Vportion of the group of covers. This 'bar is shown as carried by the cores 21 of solenoids 28 mounted on cross bars 29 connected to struts 30 at cach side of the frame. Suitable means, such, for example, as an electric eye mechanism 3l actuated by the edge of the advancing sheet of fibre, serves to energize the solenoids 28 and thus cause the momentary depression of the bar 26 to unlock the pans. Since the conveyor is constantly advancing the left hand end of the bar 26 may be upturned at 32 so that the next pan will slide thereunder and be unlocked if the bar has not risen before this pan reaches it.

This operation is continuously repeated each time a succeeding group of pans brings the forward edge of the sheet of fibre up to the predetermined position. The unlocked pans are carried around by the conveyor and would swing into locked position at least when the chains pass down around the sprocket wheel 6 at the left hand end, but to insure the prompt movement of these pans to locked position there is preferably provided a blast of compressed air through the pipe 33 and out of the nozzles 34 connected thereto which swings the pans as they pass to locked position.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be'secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. The method of blending fibre which con- Oz sists in continuously feeding the fibre in sheet form on to a conveyor, causing the conveyor constantly to advance the fibre from the feeding zone, periodically separating the sheet of fibre while advancing into successive adjoining sections, and periodically discharging the said separated still advancing sections downward from the conveyor.

2. The method of blending fibre which consists in continuously feeding the fibre in sheet form on to a continuously advancing conveyor acting constantly -to advance the fibre from the feeding zone, periodically separating the sheet of fibre while thus advancing into a series of adjoining sections, and periodically discharging the said separated still advancing sections down ward from the conveyor. I

3. The method of blending fibre which consists in continuously advancing the fibre in sheet form horizontally, .periodically dividing the leading portion of the advancing sheet of bre into successive adjoining sections, and Acausing the divided sections to continue advancing but in a downward direction.

4. The method of blending fibre which 'consists in continuously feeding the libre on to a horizontal segmental conveyor throughout the width thereof, advancing the conveyor continuously thus to advance the iibre fed thereonto, periodically displacing from the horizontal position a series of the conveyor segments carrying the libre to present discharge openings through the conveyor, and advancing the fibre in sections by the displaced segments and discharging it downward through said openings as the advancing movement of the conveyor continues.

5. An apparatus for rblending bre comprising a sectional conveyor having an extended horizontal run, means for continuously feeding the bre on to the rear end of said run throughout the width thereof, means for causing the conveyor continuously to advance the fibre fed thereon always in the same direction first to the leading end of said run and then in divided sections downward from the said run.

6. An apparatus for blending bre comprising an endless horizontally disposed conveyor presenting sections mounted for opening and having a horizontally disposed lower run, means for driving the conveyor in one direction, means for feeding the bre in sheet form on to the lower run of the conveyor, and means acting to open in regular sequence groups of sections carrying the fibre and discharge the bre downward therefrom.

7. An apparatus for blending fibre comprising an endless horizontally disposed conveyor presenting sections mounted for opening and having a horizontally disposed lower run, means for driving the conveyor in one direction, means for feeding the iibre in sheet form on to one end of the lower run of the conveyor, and means acting when the fed fibre has reached the other end of said run'to open a group of the sections and discharge the bre downward therefrom.

8. An apparatus for blending nbre comprising an endless conveyor having a horizontally disposed lower run and presenting a series of similar transverse pans depending therefrom when on the lower run, means for driving the conveyor in one direction with the lower run extending horizontally, means for feeding the fibre on to the lower run and into said pans, and means acting when the filled pans have reached the end of the lower run to swing a group of the .pans extending rearward from the end of the said run downward and discharge the fibre therefrom in sections.

9. An apparatus for blending fibre comprising an endless conveyor presenting an endless flexible support traveling in a horizontal run, means for continuously advancing the conveyor, a series of similar pans mounted to swing on transverse axes on the support, means for locking each pan to the support in position to open upward when traveling on the horizontal run, means for feeding the fibre to the rear end of the horizontal run throughout the length of the pans, and means for automatically unlocking a group of the pans when loaded with the fibre and the rst of said group has reached a predetermined point on said run to allow the pans of said group to swing down and discharge the fibre in segments.

10. An apparatus for blending bres comprising the construction defined and operating as in claim 9, together with means for automatically relooking the pans of said group to the support after they are carried past said point.

11. An apparatus for blending bres comprising the construction defined and operating as in claim 9, together with means acting to project a blast of air against each pan after it is carried past said point and swing it to relooking engagement with the support.

12. An apparatus for blending bre comprising an endless conveyor presenting an endless flexible support traveling in a horizontal run, means for continuously advancing the conveyor, a series of similar pans mounted to swing on transverse axes on the support, means for locking each pan to the support in position to open upward when traveling on the horizontal run, means for feeding the iibre to the rear end of the horizontal run throughout the length of the pans, and means for automatically unlocking successive groups of the pans, group by group, when the rst pan of each group has reached the end of the run to allow the pans of the group to swing down and discharge the bre in sections.

13. An apparatus for blending libre comprising an endless 'conveyor presenting an endless iiexible support traveling in a horizontal run, means for continuously advancing the conveyor. a series of similar pans mounted to swing on transverse axes on the support, a permanent magnet at the free edge, of each pan, a transverse bar on the support opposite each magnet cooperating therewith to hold the pan magnetically locked to the support in position to open upward when traveling on the horizontal run, means for feeding the nbre to the rear end of the horizontal run throughout the length of the pans, a cover on the support between each pair of pans, a bar above and extending over a group oi pans at the end of the run, and means acting automatically when the rst pan of each group has reached the end of the run -to depress said ,bar and cause it to depress the covers and unlock the magnets of the said group of pans to allow the pans of the group to swing down and discharge the bre in sections.

14. `An apparatus for blending fibres comprising the construction defined and operating as in claim 13, in which each cover is provided above the magnet of one of the pans with a plunger acting when the cover is depressed to release the magnet.

LESLIE A. RUNTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 568,691 Lekeux Sept. 29. 1896 1,768,534 Aiken July 1, 1930 2,315,003 Martin et al. Mar. 30, 1943 2,433,790 Senior Dec. 30, 1947 2,490,071 Mackechnie Dec. 6. 1949 

